21 April 2020

Evans Vanodine is truly honoured to announce it has won a Queen’s Award for Enterprise for a second time. The awards recognise outstanding achievements by UK companies in four categories: International Trade, Innovation, Sustainable Development, and Promoting Opportunity Through Social Mobility. They are announced annually by HM The Queen, on her birthday in April. Evans receives its Queen’s Award, once again, in the category of International Trade, for outstanding short-term growth in overseas sales over the last three years.

Managing Director, Peter Evans, said “I am very pleased that the company has been honoured for a second time with a Queen’s Award for export achievement and would especially like to thank all our hard-working staff who helped to make this award possible”. 

This latest growth in exporting was due to a mass outbreak of African Swine fever in China, which decimated the largest livestock industry in the world. We were able to ship our products to the source of the outbreak first, and then maintain a presence as the provider of the leading and most effective disinfectant against the virus. ‘Biocid 30’ (known more commonly in Europe as 'FAM 30') is now the world’s biggest selling Iodine disinfectant and is used across South-East Asia, Southern Africa, and Eastern Europe, as the leading disinfectant of its type.

This support was further backed up with ‘disinfectant road shows’, to maintain customer awareness right across all markets and help the industry stop the spread of the disease with its biosecurity programmes. Such science is now also helping us in the fight against COVID-19.

Evans Vanodine has been developing new markets around the world for many years, ever since we secured our first export order back in the 1930s, shipping disinfectant to the United States. We now have 4 licenced factories overseas, manufacturing our products in markets which otherwise would be difficult to export to from the UK. We are currently selling in 87 countries worldwide. Since our last win in 2015, Evans Vanodine has become an Export Champion in the North West and has taken part in a government trade mission, as part of the UK’s Northern Powerhouse initiative.

The business has enjoyed much success over the past 100 years, developing products for the US Air Force, helping solve two foot and mouth crises, keeping British athletes clean and hygienic in the 1968 Olympics and even protecting the public from moon landing dust back in 1969.

Today, our products cover an extensive range of applications, helping kill pathogenic diseases in hospitals, and aiding safe and hygienic environments on farms where our food is produced, to the restaurants where it is served. The business also helps to ensure schools are germ-free and that children know the importance of hand-washing. 

Speaking about this Queen’s Award win, International Division Manager, Peter Thompson, said “Animal health disease outbreaks in China and East Asia pushed us to our limits over the past couple of years. We were provided with a huge challenge, but it was a challenge to which we all rose up and met in full. This dedication has been instrumental in our 2020 award win and I have complete admiration for all Evans Vanodine departments, in the way we all pulled together. It is rare that a company can gain two Queen’s Awards, one after the other, and I would like to say to us all – ‘very well done indeed!’”

The Queen’s Awards are commemorated with a special presentation made to each company by one of the Queen’s representatives, a Lord-Lieutenant. Each winning business is also invited to attend a special reception at Buckingham Palace.